Sweetbitter . . . thanks Brad Pitt

I've watched both episodes so far and will watch the rest [I'll watch anything semi-plausible about New York restaurants, Downtown New York, ingénues in New York, etc], but I suspect not many others are watching. To some extent Sweetbitter has the misfortune of being paired with Vida, which is much more dramatic and 'timely', and attracting most of the critical attention. [Though it's Starz, so still not a great deal of attention.] Interestingly, Starz decided to upload the premiere of Vida to YouTube for free viewing, but they seem not to have done for Sweetbitter.

The folks at Eater, however, are watching. One of the reviewers has read the novel [I still haven't done], and the other [Greg Morabito] has actually worked in New York restaurants. Morabito observed that the layout of the show's '22W' does in fact match Union Square Cafe, where Danler worked during this period. The show's FoH adviser worked at Union Square Cafe for eight years.

The second episode was set after hours, mostly at 'Home Bar', which apparently was Park Bar in the novel, very convenient to USQ. The episode was filmed at M1-5.

Some fuss was made over Danler's looks when she got her fairy-tale publishing offer, but I have to admit, watching some publicity for this TV adaption, she can as readily withstand the male gaze as the show's actresses.

Episode 3 caused me to wonder [not the first time] how often the service staff at 'Mouthfuls-worthy' restaurants marry the guests*. Also, SImone tells Ella that she lives above Café Margaux. I remember a Café Margaux that was trumpeted by The New York Times as the first French restaurant east of Ave A in the gentrifying '90s. But it couldn't still have been open in 2006, could it?

* I would gladly have gone on a date with any of my female waiters and sommeliers at Meyer's restaurants and their Make It Nice descendents. They've been universally well educated, well mannered [and not cloyingly so despite what many of you think of USHG], and very pretty.